The Race is another hidden object game that tries too hard. The premise is that you are one in five pairs of competitors racing around the world. However, the problem with the game does not lie in the premise. It's the execution. In order to make the game "difficult," they cram each location full of a variety of objects. I really wish game designers would learn that this does not make a game difficult, it makes it annoying. Since there are so many items in the picture, it is impossible to see everything. So the item you are looking for might only be seen as a bicycle handlebar or a smudge on a window. There are many ways to make a hidden object game fun and challenging. This was not one of them.
Webcomics!
I'm always on the lookout for new, good webcomics to read. Here is the list of the ones I currently keep up with: Punch an' Pie (which is a spin-off of Queen of Wands which ended in 2005) - written by Aeire and drawn by Chris Daily
Striptease - written and drawn by Chris Daily
Questionable Content - written and drawn by J. Jacques
Penny Arcade - written by Tycho and drawn by Gabe
Real Life Comics - written and drawn by Greg Dean
Something*Positive - written and drawn by R.K. Milholland
Two Lumps - written by Mel Hynes and drawn by J. Grant
Feel free to suggest new webcomics for me! Also feel free to pimp yours out. I'll at least give it a look. Who knows...maybe I'll even talk about it!
Game review: Dream Day Wedding: Married in Manhattan
First, there was Dream Day Wedding. Then there was Dream Day Honeymoon. After that, there was Dream Day: First Home. Now there is Dream Day Wedding: Married in Manhattan. The Dream Day series is probably my favorite hidden object series available. In this one, we are pretty much back to the basics. You help a couple plan their wedding as you create the story of how they met. It's difficult enough to keep you interested yet easy enough that you don't get aggravated. Since each version of the game is slightly different you don't get bored playing the same exact thing over and over again. I get giddy every time I see a new Dream Day game. I hope that you feel the same way.
My carpets are clean....sorta...
One thing I have a love/hate relationship with are vacuum cleaners. I hate vacuuming but I love shopping for vacuums. It's interesting to see what sort of new technology there is for vacuums. I mean, you're basically sucking up dirt. How many different ways can you invent something that will suck up dirt? By the way, Dyson is very pretty and, from what I hear, works wonders but they are SO expensive! Not all of us are rich Dyson people!
TV review: True Blood
It seems that vampire are the new "in" thing for entertainment. HBO debuted their new vampire series, True Blood, Sunday night. It stars Anna Paquin as Sookie, a waitress in a backwater Louisiana town. The plot revolves around vampire wanting to be accepted in mainstream society. A synthetic blood, called Tru Blood, that satisfies vampires' dietary needs has been formulated so there is no longer a reason for them to feed on humans. Now they just want to be like everyone else. However, not everybody is willing to blindly accept bloodsuckers.
Sookie spends her nights waitressing at Merlotte's, a local watering hole. Unfortunately, she has the ability to hear other people's thoughts. Of course, her secret makes everyone think she is strange. One night, Bill, a vampire played by Stephen Moyer, stops into the diner. Sookie is immediately taken by the stranger since she has never seen a vampire before. Her best friend Tara, played by Rutina Wesley, and her boss Sam, played by Sam Trammel, both warn her to stay away from Bill but Sookie can't. After all, Bill is the only one that Sookie can't hear in her mind. At the same time, Bill is intrigued by the mortal girl.
I fully expected a crappy vampire show. It's not often that someone pulls off a really good vampire story. HBO found some amazing actors and writers. We're only one episode in and I'm already smitten.
New Site Stuff
I've decided that The Geek Within needed a new face-lift. You may notice a few wonky things over the next few days as I try to figure out exactly what I'd like the site to look like. The grey theme you are used to was supposed to be temporary but I got lazy. Now it's time to me to decide what I want the site to be and what I want to talk about. As such, you'll probably notice some new topics popping up. I'll still be talking about video games and jdoramas, just not as much as I have been. There will be a bit more music talk...and who knows what else I'll come up with. It'll be fun!
Best diet pills?
There must be people out there taking diet pills. I mean, they keep getting made so someone has to be buying them, right? Do people just buy them randomly or do they do research to find the best diet pills? The whole thing is so foreign to me. I've always heard about how terrible diet pills are so I've never honestly considered taking them. I don't understand why someone would take something that has the possibility for terrible side effects and addictions.
Favorite Friday
This was on the radio the other day. I forgot what a cool song it is!
Game review: Yummy Drink Factory
In Yummy Drink Factory, you have been spirited away by a witch to a fairy tale land. You need to serve beverages to customers in five different villages. Each village brings you closer to a magical map that will help you get home. When I first downloaded the game, I thought it was going to be a very typical time management drink game. However, there is a little more to it. Instead of just serving pre-made drinks, you need to combine different ingredients to make special drinks for the customers. For example, you might need to make an Iced Mocha with cocoa, mocha flavoring and ice. You get more recipes as you go along, which makes it interesting. I had quite a bit of fun playing this one. It was a really nice change of pace.
Oxygen
Many years ago, before my grandmother passed away, she had a portable oxygen concentrator. The thing was heavy and difficult to move. From what I understand, these things now come in an easier-to-carry form. That would be awesome for the families of the people that need to use oxygen on a regular basis. I can't imagine how much easier traveling with my grandmother would have been if her equipment wasn't so difficult.